Is there a way to create a new draft from the medium size widget on iOS, the one that shows inbox items? If not then perhaps this would be a welcomed addition. For example: Things 3 has a handy button in the bottom corner of the widget that allows new todos to be added to the inbox (or any other list). It takes too many taps to create a new draft directly from my Home Screen widget, and I feel like I might be missing something simple but haven’t yet found a solution.
There is a “Grid Widget” that contains configurable access to actions, including a New Draft.
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Thanks, I know about the grid widget. I prefer the simpler list widget, the grid widget takes up too much space for what I need it to do.
The medium-wide widget shows my drafts list from the inbox workspace. I like how simple it is; it’s easy to scan and I can add to my lists easily. But when I want to create a new draft, the drafts app opens with either the tapped list or the workspace drafts listed. Not a big deal but the need to tap to close the sidebar, tap again to show the keyboard, or tap the create new draft button feels slow and awkward.
In short, I don’t think that Drafts list widget can currently do what you’re asking…
Workaround: you could stack the grid widget underneath your list widget, so when you need a new draft you can just flick up to reveal an action grid. Might not work for you if you already have a lot of stacked widgets in that spot or just don’t like stacks.
I can think of one other way to add a “new draft” option to a draft list widget, but it’s not practical at all… you’d basically create a draft that has a link to a new draft action as its title, then flag that draft in the workspace/list you’re displaying in the widget, with any other negotiations required to promote that draft to the top of the list. That’d save you a couple of taps, but I’m not sure it’s worth it…
Thanks for your detailed answer! I agree that the Drafts list widget doesn’t yet do what I’m looking for and I appreciate your workaround suggestions.
I don’t have a lot of stacked widgets because I find I forget to swipe up for them when I need them in the moment. Your idea about linking a draft to a new draft action is interesting but I’d prefer a simpler workflow.
Therefore, tapping twice to hide the sidebar and show the keyboard will have to do. It’s just that I often find myself checking the widget settings as I intuitively think there should be a way to enable an “Add New Draft” button, so I wanted to mention it here.
I agree, it would be nice if there was a plus icon for a new draft or an option for the tapping of the top of the list widget, so it could open a new draft instead of the workspace drafts list.
What you could do:
- You could put Drafts in the Dock.
- You could put a widget to create a new draft on your lock screen.
- You could set your action button—supposed you have an iPhone with one—to create a new draft.
My lock screen contains of a new draft widget, a dictate to Drafts widget, and a widget of a Drafts action I created. And Drafts sits in the dock, too. That’s how important it is for me.
Honestly, a Control Center control is a good option for this…you can assign it any of the commands/actions/etc. that a Grid Widget supports – and it’s always available from any app without having to jump out the the Home Screen.
I have my phone set up with the Control Center to be triggered by a triple Back Tap, and a “New Draft” control right at the bottom to make it easy to reach.
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Solved: I have an iPhone 15+, so I don’t have the side button mentioned in the previous comment, but Greg, the triple tap solution is great.
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Updated to iOS 26 and the button in question has magically appeared. It’s already made things easier for me. This change is really helpful. Thanks!